ExodusPoint Capital Management LP Acquires Shares of 107,061 Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA)

ExodusPoint Capital Management LP bought a new position in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 107,061 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,538,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of CENTA. FMR LLC boosted its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 33.8% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 76,388 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,399,000 after purchasing an additional 19,306 shares during the period. Captrust Financial Advisors lifted its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 34.4% in the third quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 12,013 shares of the company’s stock worth $377,000 after buying an additional 3,078 shares in the last quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet in the third quarter worth about $316,000. Point72 DIFC Ltd boosted its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 32.0% in the third quarter. Point72 DIFC Ltd now owns 6,154 shares of the company’s stock valued at $193,000 after acquiring an additional 1,492 shares during the period. Finally, State Street Corp grew its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 3.3% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,175,277 shares of the company’s stock valued at $68,304,000 after acquiring an additional 68,689 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 50.82% of the company’s stock.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Performance

NASDAQ CENTA opened at $31.46 on Monday. Central Garden & Pet has a 52-week low of $27.70 and a 52-week high of $41.03. The company has a fifty day moving average of $32.05 and a 200-day moving average of $31.87. The company has a market capitalization of $2.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.29 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 1.97 and a current ratio of 3.47.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.03) by $0.24. Central Garden & Pet had a return on equity of 10.08% and a net margin of 3.77%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider John D. Walker III sold 10,000 shares of Central Garden & Pet stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.86, for a total value of $328,600.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 67,111 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,205,267.46. The trade was a 12.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 20.28% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on CENTA shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Central Garden & Pet from $32.00 to $31.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. StockNews.com upgraded Central Garden & Pet from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Argus cut Central Garden & Pet from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $41.00.

About Central Garden & Pet

Central Garden & Pet Co engages in the production and distribution of branded and private label products for the lawn, garden, and pet supplies markets. It operates through the Pet and Garden segments. The Pet segment focuses on dog and cat supplies such as dog treats and chews, toys, pet beds and containment, grooming products, waste management and training pads, supplies for aquatics, small animals, reptiles and pet birds including toys, cages and habitats, bedding, food and supplements, products for equine and livestock, animal and household health and insect control products, live fish and small animals as well as outdoor cushions.